As of this past May 27th, I'm officially another year older (and possibly wiser too?). Where do the years go? I'm now 27—yes 27 on the 27th—and my birthday was none other than Cars 3 themed! Really since right around Toy Story 3, I've had a tradition of having Pixar themed birthday parties; and if you've been following my blog since it started in 2013, you've probably seen most of them!
If you'd like to see the previous years I've documented here, be sure to check out 2013 (Monsters University), 2014 (The Blue Umbrella), 2015 (Inside Out) and 2016 (Finding Dory). Luckily for me, Pixar films usually come out in June— which means party stuff and merchandise are always around just in time!
Anyway, back to this year. My day was absolutely fantastic. I had the day off from work, got to sleep in and even went to see Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (seeing a movie at the theater has been another birthday tradition of mine ever since I was a kid)! In the mean time, my wife Brita was making all sorts of party magic happen at my parents' house where all the festivities would be taking place that evening. She even sent out a cute impromptu mass text invitation to my family, which I thought was pretty adorable.
When I arrived home (as seen above), my party shirt was waiting for me on the couch. I changed into it right away and then soaked in all the amazing decor before the rest of my family arrived! I wanted it all to be a surprise, so I hadn't even caught a glimpse of anything until I walked in. Man, once again Brita outdid herself and made me an incredible party.
Check out all the detailed shots below! Sorry— I'm not holding back very much on pics this time around, so be prepared for a ton. It was all too good.
Note: Many of the decorations Brita purchased were from Party City. Check out this direct link HERE to see the whole collection.
The details Brita put into this party are just awesome (as usual). For example, that's the spare tire from our car there on the mantle and she even purchased a traffic cone from Home Depot for that extra touch! I got that Piston Cup trophy at Cars Land back in 2013 and I guess she had no trouble finding it in my room.
Love my new Disney Store Doc Hudson mug. Full post on that soon!
OK how clever. Brita took one of her jello molds and made "ice tires" to go in the punch. That was all her! I also wanted to note that she purposely made a red punch concoction— to match McQueen's signature color of course.
Details in every corner!
Love Brita's use of the checkered racing flag streamers throughout all the rooms. Brilliantly incorporated.
My "The Art of Disney" exclusive limited edition laser cell McQueen print made an appearance.
I also wanted to make a note that we had a Cars music playlist going during the party! That was such a fun touch and added that much more to the overall ambience.
Now onto the food....what's an epic party without amazing snacks?! Let's break down what's on this table. Notice the cool Cars 3 serving bowls?
Here you can see Brita's leaning tower of donuts; inspired by Luigi's Casa Della Tires shop! Those were a hit.
This candied popcorn is super tasty and unique (it comes from a locally owned store in Maryland that we visited where they have every flavor of popcorn imaginable). The red (Lightning McQueen inspired) is strawberry flavored, the yellow (Cruz Ramirez inspired) is Piña Colada flavored and the blue (Jackson Storm inspired) is blueberry flavored.
There in the croc pot was a delicious sausage queso dip served with fritos and tortilla chips.
One of my favorite party snacks: cream cheese covered with [McQueen] red pepper jelly and served with crackers.
Official Cars 3 Goldfish! Full post HERE.
Classic combo of chips, onion dip and M&Ms. A must have at every one of my family's parties.
Cruz Ramirez's deviled eggs!
Luigi's pizza tires (homemade mini pepperoni pizza bagels). YUM!!
Love the consistent blues, reds and yellow colors throughout! Inspired by the film's three main characters.
"Honeycomb" hanging piston cup.
Now to check out the main cake table with all the party goods! Such cool designs this time around (I may have even saved a few plates, cups, hats and napkins for future use ;).
My LOVE!
Below are many of my future posts here on the blog, ha! Such generous gifts. I can't wait to share with you what I got!
Brita filled the [pull string style] Lightning McQueen piñata with all sorts of candy and treats, including Cars 3 temporary tattoos and stickers. The kids had a blast with it and even got to take home their goodies in Cars themed baggies!
Crazy kids. :P
Here's an Instagram LIVE video that I recorded and archived for your viewing pleasure! Check it out below if you missed it. Love that the new Cars 3 song "Ride" was in the background. :)
Present time! My niece Addie drew me this thoughtful piece featuring Buzz Lightyear. So sweet!
Yay! Who doesn't love a good movie theater gift card? I used it up that very night to purchase my Cars 3 movie tickets. By the way, T-minus 10 days and counting.
Me and a few of my nieces and nephews having some classic times.
Brita finished up my homemade cake and, because it had ice cream in the middle and whipped cream frosting, we took a non-traditional intermission half way through my present opening. We wanted it fresh and not "melty"...plus everyone was down for a little "cake break."
The newest addition to my ongoing series of birthday "man or monkey?" candle blowing pictures :)
My strawberry cake!! So extra good this year.
Present opening resumed. More info on this amazing "Poster Art of Cars" book and so much more soon!
Ka-chow! My niece Evie made me this thoughtful, appropriately themed card.
My mom always has a way with using stickers at birthdays and other holidays to spruce up plain boxes/packages.
Here's me opening my very last present which was the biggest surprise. I'll tease it now and share it with you as soon as I can! It's a good one ;)
Another birthday has come and gone...but it won't be soon forgotten! I can't express enough appreciation to Brita and all my family who made my day so memorable and magical. I'm so thrilled to share all this with you and I hope you enjoyed being somewhat there at my party through these pics.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any additional questions on anything you see here, don't hesitate to ask.
Well, until next time...any guesses on next year's birthday theme? Yup, I already have one in mind. Here's a hint: it'll be INCREDIBLE. ;)
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